By Rick Stanton
News flash! There’s a lot of bad in the world today.
We have insane people leading countries with weaponry that can annihilate the planet. Epic homelessness is everywhere. There are very real conversations about Medicare and Social Security going bankrupt sooner than later. Climate change is real, and on and on it goes…
So what does one do? Answer: Good.
Marketing and advertising professionals have the ability and—frankly—the responsibility to find ways to make a positive difference. It begins with finding clients with a soul.
Don’t get me wrong, making money is a good thing. I totally subscribe to capitalism. A few columns back I referred to a book titled It’s Not What You Sell, It’s What You Stand For. If you missed it the first time, take a minute and look at the Purpose Institute link I’ve included below. Speaking of doing good, but it from a small, local bookseller, not Amazon.
There are leaders of companies large and small who understand the importance of having a corporate conscience. They give back to their workers, their communities and—on a grander scale—the world.
When I ran Stanton & Everybody, we had a saying: no assholes. It’s not a very flowery word pairing, but it cuts to the chase. Not only do @$$h0l$ crush your agency culture, they contribute to the negativity on a bigger stage.
I had the privilege of working alongside Cary Bozeman when he headed the Boys & Girls Clubs of King County. As the former mayor of both Bellevue and Bremerton, Cary’s sense of social responsibility was astounding.
And I was fortunate, due to the goading of local radio legend Shannon Sweatte, to find a cause I supported for nearly 20 years: Seattle Goodwill. We never made a dime on the Goodwill business because I didn’t want to: I wanted to help them be a difference-maker in our community. And I’m absolutely sure we did that.
It’s also why we never pursued the Washington State Lottery account. Not that we would have had a snowball’s chance in hell of getting it, but, in general. the wrong people buy lottery tickets, looking for life’s silver bullet.
So while you’re out there chasing new business, think about what you might do as marketing professional that will help offset some of the negative crap we deal with every day.
Make it a part of your business plan, because it will make a difference—in you.
http://www.thedrum.com/news/2018/06/15/apparel-company-american-rhino-launches-first-campaign
https://thepurposeinstitute.com/